Torment
by The Thorned Rose
Summary: Seto Kaiba pushed away the only girl he ever loved to protect her. But, now that she has started a relationship with someone else, he comes to regret the decision. Can he win back her heart and keep her safe? Or is she better off being with his rival?
1. Chapter 1

Seto Kaiba stared out the window of his limo, looking at the woman he pushed away. Her short brown hair blew in the wind as she sat next to his rival in the park. After he broke her heart, she moved out of his mansion and started to date Yugi Moto, the current king of duels. She looked happy and that was what pained Seto most. She was supposed to be happy with him, but he was too proud an individual to admit that.

…

Yugi dropped Téa off at her apartment after their date in the park. She poured herself a cup of coffee and took her medicine. She looked at the bottle and frowned, they were antidepressants. They were prescribed to her, after Seto rescued her from her past.

Téa looked at her watch and decided to start to cook dinner. As she was gathering ingredients, she heard a knock on the door. She smiled knowing exactly who it was, by his special knock. "I'm coming Mokuba," she yelled. She walked to the door and beamed when she saw a black mop of hair standing before her. "Hey Mokie, what brings you here?" she asked knowingly.

"It is Taco Tuesday. Big brother may not celebrate it…but, I know you do," Mokuba said cheekily.

Téa pulled out another plate and fake pouted, "Aw shucks, and I thought you wanted to visit me...I'm hurt."

Mokuba put a more serious face on and said, "Actually, I was hoping you might consider coming back home. I miss you and Seto has gotten even colder towards everyone since you left. He may not be able to verbalize it Téa, but I know he wants you to come home too."

Téa was listening by the stove as she browned some ground meat and said, "I can't Mokuba. Yes, we three have been through hard times together, but it is over now. Seto and I have decided to part ways…" She swallowed hard as she lied, "It was mutual."

"Mutual my foot. Look Téa I know that whatever my brother said or did, he didn't mean it. He loves you Téa." Mokuba replied.

Téa's legs started to wobble and she leaned on the stove for support. She was looking away from Mokuba, so he couldn't see the tears rolling down her face. As calmly as she could muster she said, "No Mokuba, he doesn't…at least not in the way I do."

She wiped away her tears and turned to Mokuba. "Mokuba, Seto and I do care about each other. But he just feels differently about me than I feel about him. When this happens, sometimes it pushes the other person away. Do you understand?"

Mokuba shook his head no, and asked, "How was it different?"

Téa took a deep breath an explained, "Seto cares for me like one cares for a friend. I…I just…wanted something more." She put a fake smile on and said, "But it is okay. I am with Yugi now and Seto has that lady from the office Starlet.

Mokuba rolled his eyes and responded, "Starlet isn't interested in anything more than my brother's money. Even he knows it."

Téa straightened up and firmly said, "That's enough Mokuba. Seto made his choice, and I made mine. Now let's eat, the food is getting cold."

…

When Mokuba arrived home his brother was sitting on the couch next to Starlet. "What is she doing here?" He asked irritably.

Seto was shocked by Mokuba's rude reaction, "I invited her here. What's with the attitude?"

"I don't want that bimbo anywhere near this house. She is the reason Téa left, isn't she?!" Mokuba screamed.

"Could you give us a moment?" he asked starlet. She nodded and walked into the kitchen.

"Mokuba, Starlet and I are dating now and that has nothing to do with why Téa left," Seto calmly explained to his younger brother.

"Then why did she leave? What did you tell her to make her leave?" Mokuba asked desperately.

Seto didn't even flinch when he answered, "I told her I didn't love her."

Mokuba looked up in shock, "What do you mean, you told her you don't love her? You're crazy about her. Why did you let her go so easily? You protected her from Gozaburo when he was alive. You taught her enough to catch up with her own age group's study after his death. She has been a part of our family for almost as long as I can remember. How can you not love her?"

Seto's chest ached as he got up and said, "We'll talk about this later. I have company over." Mokuba started to cry and ran upstairs to his room.

…

Starlet looked up as she saw the oldest Kaiba brother enter the kitchen. She approached him and kissed him eagerly on the lips. She was surprised to find that the kiss wasn't reciprocated. When he sat down in front of the kitchen table. She walked over and stood behind him. She started to massage his shoulders and whispered, "I think I know a game that might cheer you up…" Kaiba closed his eyes for a moment enjoying the sensation of having his back rubbed. He then looked up at her and mumbled hmmmm, as if telling her to continue. She smiled and pulled a card out of her hair bun, "How about a game of strip poker?"

Kaiba was surprised by her card trick and asked, "You're not by any chance related to Duke Devilin." She giggled at his joke and started to unbutton his shirt. He caught her hand and said, "Not tonight. My brother is upset as is. We don't need to traumatize him." She frowned and tried again, but this time he caught both hands and said, "Leave." She grabbed her purse and stormed out the house.

Kaiba let out a sigh and made his way up the stairs.

…

When he made it to his bedroom, he grabbed a bottle of vodka and poured him a cup before sitting in his bed. The truth was he was in love with her, but he knew he couldn't have her. Recently, his security team showed him surveillance video of someone trying to break into his office. When he looked back at the footage he saw the burglar being handed a case of money shortly before the break in. The man holding the briefcase he recognized as stepfather. He was older now, but there was no mistaking that wicked glint in his eye. Seto knew it was wrong to push Téa away the way he did, but with Gozaburo was out there, and he was terrified that Gozaburo would go after her.

He took a sip from his glass and thought back to that first fateful day they met.

**FLASHBACK **

_After beating Gozaburo in the infamous chess battle, he kept his word and adopted Seto and Mokuba from the orphanage. 'From this moment on I will be known as Seto Kaiba,' he thought to himself… Gozaburo is rich, so he thought they would find happiness. He thought he could eventually grow to be close with Gozaburo, and at least have something that resembled a family. Little did he know; he was making the biggest mistake of my life. _

_Gozaburo drove them to his mansion. Seto and Mokuka were awestruck. They had never seen such a magnificent house in their lives. They exited the car and were greeted by what appeared to be a maid and a girl about Setos age. The young girl was a pale skinned brunette with ocean blue eyes. She had a beautiful face, but she was dressed in rags. The girl was covered in dirt and dust. _

_"Hi," Seto said as he extended his hand to the little girl, "I'm Seto and this is my little brother Mokuba." She looked afraid at first but then replied, "I-I am Tea. I w-work here with my mom." She then reached up to hold the maid's hand which was covered in tattoos. The maid pulled her hand away from Tea and said, "Let me go you leech, you ruined my life." _

_Marina, Téa's mother, blamed Téa for her husband leaving and treated her like a slave since she was born. The treatment only got worse after her mother became Gozaburo's mistress._

_Téa looked down at her shoes with tears in her eyes and whispered, "Yes mother." She then walked over to the door towards a mop bucket and continued to scrub the floor._

_Gozaboro walked in the door at that moment and accidentally knocked down the mop bucket. Suddenly Tea started to freak out, "I am sorry sir! She ran to grab a towel to wipe up the mess when Gozaboro grabbed her arm. "No, No! Please!" She squealed. He turned to face Mokuba and Seto and said, "I am going to show you what happens when you disturb or disobey me in this house. Suddenly he started to beat this poor girl. At first, Seto stood there in shock. But, once he saw blood he ran and jumped on Gozaboro to make him stop. The whole-time Téa was begging him to stop. When Seto jumped in to help, Gozaburo turned his energy towards him, rather than the girl. And that was his first day of living hell. _

**FLASH BACK END**

Seto looked up at the time, it was almost 5:00, which meant that Téa would be heading to work at the diner. He grabbed his coat and like he did every day since the day she left, he walked to sit in a nearby café to make sure she got to work safely.

So, he waited under a shaded tree of the nearby café and ordered a cup of coffee. He observed the nearby area and was happy that she chose to take this job. The job was in a safe area and paid extremely well (mainly because he bought out the restaurant immediately after she was hired and ordered that it be kept secret.) He wanted to make sure that she didn't struggle financially when she left. She turned the corner at that moment, wearing her light blue uniform. A smile formed on his lips as he saw her greet one of her regular customers.

A voice interrupted his reverie and said, "It's been a long time, Son."

Seto's eyes narrowed as soon as he heard that voice, "You're supposed to be dead. What are you doing here?"

Gozaburo smirked at Seto's reaction and replied, "I merely wanted to check in on my dear little boy. I see he still has his heart set on a pretty little slave girl."

"I feel nothing for Téa," he said firmly, "She means nothing to me."

"We'll see about that," Gozaburo said before he left, "We will see…"

All of a sudden, shots rang out across the street. "Téa!" he yelled before running to the diner. He looked through the window and saw a man wearing a mask holding up the place. Téa was standing at the register with her hands in the air.

Seto crawled in an open bathroom window in the back. He slowly and cautiously made his way to the front. He heard Téa say, "Please don't hurt me." The man with the gun grabbed her by her waist with one arm and placed the pistol to her temple, "Just be a good little girl and nobody will get hurt. Now, fill one of those plastic garbage bags you have there with all the money you have in the register." She did as she was told and he said, "Now, why don't you tell me the code to your safe, and fill the bag the rest of the way."

"I don't know the code," she said truthfully.

"Such a shame, I really didn't want to have to kill you," He said as he prepared to pull the trigger.

"Wait," a voice called out, Téa turned her head and was horrified to see Seto standing in the doorway leading to the kitchen. "My name is Seto Kaiba. I own this establishment, and I will give you the code and everything in that safe, if you let her go."

The man in the masked looked at mask smiled at her and threw her on the floor. Fine, he said as he placed the gun to Kaiba's back. Kaiba led the man to the safe, unlocked it, and said, "Take what you want and leave."

The man smiled and said, "Thank you Mr. Kaiba, I sure hope that pretty girl of yours was worth it" before he ran out the door with the money.

Kaiba let out a relieved breath and went to check on everyone in the restaurant. When he walked in the front of the business he announced, "The burglar is gone. I am terribly sorry about the trouble; your dinners are all free."

He approached Téa who was being helped by one of the other workers. Her head hit the counter when the burglar threw her down and was now bleeding. Seto knelt down to her and said, "Come with me, this might need stitches." He helped her to her feet and whipped out his phone to call Roland.

As the limo pulled up he helped her into the car and handed her a handkerchief to apply pressure to the wound. She looked up at him in the car and asked, "Why did you come?"

"The alarm system at the diner went off. I wanted to see what happened. I didn't realize that you worked there until I saw the burglar holding a gun to your head."

Téa scoffed at him and said, "You're still a terrible liar."

Seto smiled softly at her and replied, "Only with you."

"So, are you going to tell me what happened today, or am I going to have to find out on my own?" Téa asked with a look of irritation.

Seto finally confessed, "Gozaburo's back."


	2. Chapter 2

Torment 2

Téa's face went pale and she shook her head, "No, that can't be. I was there when…"

"I know you were there, but he recently paid someone to try to break into my office. Besides that, I saw him when I was sitting at the café across the…" he stopped himself when he realized he was about to blow his cover.

Téa chuckled softly and placed her hand on his. "It's okay Seto, I already knew."

They pulled up to the emergency room and Seto stepped out and waited for Téa to join him. As she stood up, her legs gave out from the blood loss. He lifted her up and carried her into the hospital. As soon as they saw Seto Kaiba, the nurses dropped everything they were doing to help him. Kaiba had built an entire wing of the hospital and assisted in several of the hospitals fundraisers. They were placed in a private room almost immediately with a doctor.

The doctor looked her over and said, "Well the good news is you don't have a concussion. The bad news is you are going to need about 8 stitches and a bag of blood"

Téa yawned and said, "Do what you have to, I want to go home."

The doctor gave her a shot to numb the area and looked over to Kaiba, "She is going to need someone to watch over her for the next 24 hours."

Kaiba nodded and the doctor proceeded to stitch up her forehead. After her head was stitched up, he drove her back to his mansion. Téa was still woozy from her medication, so he walked by her side to the door. Once he unlocked the door, he was surprised to see Starlet sitting on the couch inside. Starlet stood up angrily, "Seto darling, what is she doing here?"

Téa frowned upon seeing Starlet and replied, "Just leaving."

Téa tried to turn away, but Seto held onto her hand firmly and answered Starlet, "She was attacked at work, and requires supervision for the next 24 hours. No matter how you feel about her Starlet, she is family to me."

Starlet's attitude did a complete turn around and she replied, "Oh no Seto, you misunderstood. I love Téa. I'm just surprised is all." She then walked up to Téa and gave her a half-hearted embrace.

Téa rolled her eyes and said, "Right, I haven't seen so much love in a room since Duke Devlin discovered his reflection. Now if you will excuse me, I am going to go lay down."

Kaiba started to snicker, but quickly stopped when Starlet shot him a glare. Kaiba cleared his throat and said, "It's probably best if you were to just go home tonight." He then walked past Starlet and followed Téa into her old room. Starlet couldn't believe that Kaiba followed Téa. Starlet grabbed her purse and stormed out the front door, hoping that Kaiba would try to win her back… But, he never came.

He found Téa digging through her old dresser, trying to find something for her to sleep in. "You can use one of my shirts to sleep in, like you used to," Seto said.

Téa shook her head and replied, "A woman only wears a man's shirt if she is in a relationship with him. Considering that you are in a relationship with Starlet, and I am in a relationship with Yugi, it would be improper."

"Do you wear Yugi's shirts?" Seto asked in a softer tone.

Téa's eyes got big, for a moment and she looked away from him, "Let's not discuss this Seto."

Instead of accepting her answer, he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. She fought to get off of him, but he simply smacked her on her butt and said, "stay still." Seto smirked when she yelped in surprise. He set her down when they reached his room and he sat her on the bed.

Knowing what he was up to, she sat on the edge of his bed and simply mumbled, "I just had stitches, you could at least be more gentle." He ignored her and started to dig through his drawers and threw her a until he found a shirt she could use.

No longer having the energy to argue, she took his shirt, walked into his bathroom and changed. When she came out, Seto said, "You're going to sleep in my bed tonight."

Téa's eyes opened in surprised, "Why? I have my own room."

Seto answered, "The doctor told me to keep an eye on you, and that is what I intend to do. I will sleep on the chaise lounge."

"No, Yugi will have a fit, if I do that," Téa replied.

Seto smirked and said, "I am counting on it. Now, do you use Yugi's shirts as night shirts?"

"You always did have a one-track mind," she said in an annoyed fashion, "I tried once, but Yugi is so short, it might as well have been a crop top." She paused for a moment before she continued, "I was too embarrassed to tell him, so I went home."

She looked up at Seto who looked like he had mixed feelings, part of him looked jealous that she had even tried his shirt on, and the other half looked close to laughter. She threw a pillow at his head and said, "It's not funny Seto."

Seto caught the pillow, and made a serious face, he approached her on the bed. Téa started to fidget nervously at this random change of emotion. He sat next to her and embraced her. Téa stiffened at his touch, but gently pat him on the back.

"Téa, come home," he whispered.

Téa blinked in surprise, "Seto, I can't. You don't love me, and even if you did, it wouldn't be fair to Yugi."

Seto Squeezed her tighter and said, "I do care about you Téa. When you confessed that you loved me, I had just found out that Gozaburo was still alive. I was afraid that if he found out that we were still together, he would have you killed. But, from today's events I can clearly see that he wants to hurt you regardless of whether we are in a relationship or not. At least, if we are together, I could have security team around 24/7 to protect you."

"I don't want to be surrounded by security Seto. And, I don't want to hurt Yugi. Please just let this go. You had your chance," Téa replied.

Seto let out an irritated sigh but nodded. "Fine, but I am going to watch over you tonight, regardless of how you feel," He then stood up and walked over to the bed. He sat next to her and pulled her close to him. She tried to resist him at first but ended up giving in to him when he kissed her injured forehead.

She then snuggled into his chest and listened to his heartbeat until it lulled her to sleep.

…

**Dream/Memory**

_Gozaburo sat face to face with Seto to discuss plans to merge companies with another, "Seto, in a few years you will be expected to choose a wife and continue the Kaiba legacy. For that reason, I am going throw you a sweet sixteen birthday party. I want you to meet with the daughters of other business men, and choose a girl to court."_

_Seto was not interested in dating anyone, but he thought marriage might be his way to take over his father's company. So, he reluctantly obeyed his stepfather and returned to his room. Téa was sitting on his bed with a laundry basket folding clothes. She moved over to make room for him to sit. "How did the meeting go today? He didn't hurt you again, did he?" She asked while examining him from head to toe. _

_Seto grabbed her hand and gently moved it off him before replying, "He didn't punish me, he wants me to pick a woman to court at the next business party." Several emotions crossed her face as she spoke, fear, confusion, sadness, anger, jealousy, and acceptance. Téa always was an open book emotionally, but he had never seen her have so many emotions at one time. _

…

_The night of the party, Seto was led around the room by his stepfather to meet all the young daughters in the room. Kaiba forced a smile on his face and greeted each one of the families. The girl he was currently speaking with was the heir to the Tottle Toy Company, Rebecca Tottle. Her father was showing her off like she was a rare gemstone. While talking, Seto saw Téa wearing a simple white chiffon dress that was handed out to all the maids for this occasion. She was handing out glasses of wine to the guest. He excused himself from the conversation and greeted her, "Téa, you look beautiful. Are you having fun tonight."_

_Téa blushed and replied, "Thank you. It's fun to see people dancing in their beautiful ballgowns. Maybe one day, we can go out dancing together…" Her blush seemed to deepen, and she changed the subject, "At least there will be plenty of leftovers tonight." She patted Seto on the back and handed him a glass of water before saying, "good luck tonight."_

…

_David Tottle saw the young Kaiba's attention drift while in conversation with Gozaburo and said, "You might want to talk to your boy about who is appropriate to court and who is not."_

_Gozaburo turned around and was not surprised to see Seto with that slave girl again. He was about to approach him about it when he saw her return back to the kitchen, and Seto go back to meeting with daughters. He decided that he would deal with that problem later. _

_When Téa came out with another platter full of wine glasses, she walked around the room to hand them out. Rebecca who was insulted earlier walked over to Seto and asked him for a dance. Seto nodded and followed her to the dance floor, as she passed Téa she bumped into her and knocked the tray on Téa's dress. "Watch where you're going you klutz, you almost destroyed my dress," Rebecca shouted at her._

_Téa looked down at her own dress which was completely destroyed. She bowed to the girl in front of her and said, "I'm sorry miss, I…"_

_Seto grabbed her wrist and stopped her, "Téa, don't you dare apologize. She did this on purpose." _

"_Seto, how dare you accuse me of something like that. I'm hurt," Rebecca said with tears in her eyes._

_Seto ignored what she said, and instead took the tray out of Téa's hand. He placed the tray down on a nearby table and led her to the dance floor. "Seto, what are you doing?" she asked nervously. _

"_You said, you wanted to dance, didn't you?" Seto answered. _

"_Not like this. I'm dripping wet and… Oh my god, Seto, your father is going to kill you later," Téa said fearfully._

_Kaiba pulled her closer, looked her in the eyes and whispered, "Téa please, dance with me." His eyes were so intense at that moment, she knew that she couldn't refuse, and more than that deep down she wanted to dance with him. _

_Everyone in the room was stunned to see Seto not only stand up for the help, but also dance with her. Where did a maid learn to dance so well?_

_When Gozaburo saw them, he was enraged, but he couldn't show it in public. Instead he walked over to the two dancing and said, "After the party, I strongly suggest that you meet me in my office." Téa cringed because she knew that Seto was about to be punished. Fearfully she tightened her grip on his arm. _

_When the dance ended, he whispered, "I will be alright. Get back to work." _

_She nodded and went back into the kitchen. _

_After the party, Seto rode in the limo to his stepfather's office. He knew that the consequences for his actions were going to be cruel, and he tried to mentally prepare himself for the pain that was about to happen. _

_When he walked in, he was shocked to see Téa tied to a chair. Immediately, he ran to her side to untie her, but Roland grabbed him and pulled his arms behind his back. His stepfather walked over towards the fire and started to warm the fire poker. Seto's eyes got wide, knowing what was about to happen. He struggled with all his might to free his hands, but Roland had his wrist locked. Gozaburo slid his desk chair across from Téa._

"_Don't look at me like that Téa, I tried to convince him to stay away from you, but he just couldn't look away from that pretty little face of yours. Maybe if I just adjust it a little," Gozaburo said as he lifted the glowing fire poker._

_Finally, Roland couldn't take it anymore, he let Seto go. Seto ran to and Téa and used his body as a shield to protect her from Gozaburo. Seto braced himself for the pain but was surprised when the pain never came. That's when he heard a crash, and realized Roland pushed Gozaburo's desk chair out the window. Seto and Téa were sat in shock for a moment. Roland turned around after the incident and started to cry, "Oh god, my family…" he whispered. _

_Those words snapped Seto out of the trance that he was in and he immediately shut down all the security cameras. He swapped the videos with a video from a prior evening, completely erased the video from today, and disabled the sprinkler system. He looked up at Roland and said, "For protecting Téa, I will protect you from the police. There will be absolutely no evidence of any of us being here tonight. Rest easy Roland."_

_Roland was shocked, but nodded and said, "Thank you, Sir."_

_Seto then untied _Téa and _used the fire poker to roll one of the flaming logs onto the carpet, "Let's go," he said as the carpet caught fire. There was nothing but ash and metal left after the building had burned that night._


	3. Chapter 3

Seto woke up with Téa in his arms, he looked at her face which looked pained and covered in sweat. Kaiba sat up in the bed and placed his hand on her head. She was running fever. Kaiba rolled over in the bed to grab his cellphone off the night stand and call the doctor. He then grabbed a rag out of the bathroom and wet it to cool her down. Her eyes fluttered open when she felt it touch her skin.

Téa sat up and shivered, "Seto?" she said questioningly, "Why is it so cold?"

"You're sick Téa," he said as he pulled another blanket from the closet and wrapped her in it. Téa stood up and said, "I have to go Seto. Yugi is probably in a panic wondering where I am."

Seto grabbed her wrist, "Téa. Please don't go."

"Seto, we can't be like we used to. I am engaged," she said as she showed him the ring. Her legs gave out on her as she said it and fell backwards onto the bed.

Seto stood up in shock, "You're marrying the twerp?!"

Tears started to fill her eyes, "Yes, Yugi and I have been together for a while. He proposed a few days ago. It's only natural for us to want to settle down Seto."

"Do you love him?" Seto asked.

Téa started to shake and said, "I…I think so…maybe…God, Seto I don't know. All I know is I am tired of being alone."

Seto was devastated, but he couldn't let her know that. He grabbed his phone and called Yugi. "Come get your fiancé," he said bitterly. He then stood up and left her alone in the room.

…

When Yugi arrived, Téa was too sick to walk and Seto was too angry to care. He watched as she leaned on Yugi struggling to walk to the staircase. Seto tried his hardest to ignore the twerp until he said, "Téa, maybe I should try carrying you down the stairs. This is a little harsh on my shoulder."

Téa's eyes got big and she thought, 'Have you lost your mind? If you can't stand me leaning on you, how the hell do you expect to be able to carry me down the stairs.' She replied politely, "No thanks Yugi, I will just get cling to the railing."

Yugi gave her an annoyed look and grabbed her arm, throwing it behind his shoulder, and placed the other arm under her knees.

"No…NO…NOO…NOOOO" she said as he picked her up. Kaiba could see Yugi's arms start to shake as he took his first couple steps down the stairs. There was no way he was going to make it all the way down without dropping her. Kaiba sprinted up the stairs and took Téa from him, before carrying her the rest of the way down.

Téa let out a relieved breath and said, "Thank you Seto."

Seto grunted and slammed the door as Yugi walked out with her.

…

When Yugi and Téa got back to her apartment. Yugi helped Téa to the couch and turned on the Tv without saying a word. "Is something wrong Yugi," she asked looking concerned.

"You were perfectly fine with Kaiba carrying you. Why wouldn't you let me help you down the stairs?" Yugi asked.

Téa rolled her eyes, too sick to argue with him and said, "Yugi, I didn't let him carry me. He saw you struggling and came to help. That's it. Now could you please get me a blanket? I'm freezing."

"Why don't you ask him to get it," he said before he stomped over the bedroom in a huff.

Téa groaned and mumbled, "He probably would."

…

Several weeks later, Téa was hanging out with Yugi and her friends in the mall. She was looking at clothes with Serenity and Mai, while the Duke was getting another piercing at the tattoo parlor. Yugi, Joey, and Tristan were looking at tattoo designs, while they waited for duke to finish. Joey saw a sign in the window and said, "Hey Yug, they have a special on couple tattoos, buy one get one half off. Why don't you and Téa get matching tattoos."

Yugi thought about it for a moment and said, "I doubt she would go for something like that."

"Why not Yug, you guys are engaged right? It's just like an engagement ring…but more permanent," Joey said.

Yugi thought about it and said, "You're right Joey, I am going to see what she thinks."

Yugi ran across the hall to the store Téa was in and walked up to her.

"Hey Yugi, is Duke almost finished?" she asked while she looked at a skirt.

Yugi nodded and said, "Yeah, but I thought we could get something there."

Téa raised an eyebrow and said, "Yugi, I have absolutely no desire to get anything pierced."

Yugi chuckled and said, "No, I want to get a couple tattoo."

Téa smiled softly and said, "No, thanks Yugi. Tattoos aren't really my style."

"Why not?" Yugi asked, "We could get something really cool, like you could get dark magician girl and I could get dark magician. Or, we could just get our names tattooed, if you want something simpler," He said as he led her to the tattoo parlor.

Once inside, Téa saw the tattoo artist's sleeve of tattoos and thought of her mother. Her face went pale, and she shook her head, "Yugi, I don't want a tattoo. I don't want to have anything drawn on me. Now please drop it."

Yugi looked down at his feet and said, "Fine, I just wanted to do something together."

The tattoo artist called out, "If you change your mind, the deal is good all week."

"Why don't we go grab a table for everyone at the food court. It is about time for lunch," Téa suggested.

Yugi nodded and followed her to the food court. Téa sat at a table, while Yugi went to order some food. As she waited for him, she heard a boy's voice calling out to her. She turned around in her chair to see Mokuba running up to her with Seto walking behind him.

She held her arms out as the boy ran up to hug her. "Hey Mokie, Seto, what are you guys doing here today?" she greeted.

"We're here to get me a couple new uniforms for school," Mokuba explained, "What are you doing here?"

"I am hanging out with the gang. They'll be here as soon as Duke is finished getting his eyebrow pierced," Téa answered.

Yugi turned around and noticed Téa speaking with the Kaiba brothers. He became annoyed at the eldest Kaiba's presence and approached the table with the food. After he placed the tray down, he wrapped his arm around his fiancée's shoulder and said, "Yeah, and a little later we are going to be getting a tattoo together."

Téa gave Yugi a dirty look, and Kaiba snorted, "Yeah, right."

"Are you bothered by our decision Kaiba," Yugi said feigning ignorance.

Kaiba smirked and replied, "No, not at all…But I know that Téa. You are never going to convince her to get a tattoo. You should have seen the war that was started when I told her that I wanted to get a blue eyes white dragon on my back. You would have an easier time convincing her to go skinny dipping in Antarctica."

Yugi looked at her for validation, and she said, "well he's not wrong," before crossing her arms and looking away.

Kaiba smirked and said, "I can have my plane fueled within the hour."

"I don't have to put up with this," Yugi said in both embarrassment and anger. He pushed his tray away and walked out the mall.

Téa leaned back in her chair annoyed and waited on Seto to say something. It didn't take long… "Looks like there is trouble in paradise, why don't you come back home while the twerp licks his wounds clean."

Téa stood up and said, "Please stop being a jerk to him. He has done nothing to you."

"He took you away from me, that is more than enough reason for me to make him suffer," Seto replied.

"No, you pushed me away. You knew what you were doing, but you did it anyway. Now please just leave me alone Seto," Téa replied.

At that moment, her friends showed up, "Hey, Téa where's Yug?" Joey asked, before he noticed Kaiba.

"What are you doin here Money bags?" Joey asked irritably.

Seto didn't respond. Instead, he placed his hand on Mokuba's head and said, "Let's go home."

Before they left though, Mokuba asked a question that had both Téa and Kaiba's face turn red, "Big brother, what's skinny dipping?"

Joey's and the rest of the gang's eyes got huge as they wondered, 'What the hell did we miss?'


End file.
